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Mary Stayed Out All Night Episode 4 Recap

Episode 4 of Mary Stayed Out All Night (Marry Me, Mary!) was a game-changer. It wasn’t anything unexpected, but the stakes have been changed for one participant, leading to a likely domino effect for everyone else. I like it. More stakes means more purpose behind what this entire story will ultimately be about. Will Mae Ri marry for love, or sacrifice herself for everyone else?

I have been told that M3 is such trifle that somehow my recap makes it more interesting or enjoyable. I thank thee for the compliment, but I find that this story has a kernel of sweetness and growing angst that is satisfying for likely many viewers. While M3 is still a string of improbable situations strung together in a row, since it leads to Mae Ri spending time with both Mu Gyul and Jung In, I continue to roll with the clichés and find amusement in the meta.

M3 Episode 4 Recap:

Mae Ri walks up to her husband, and shuttles him out of the bed of her other husband. When Mu Gyul stumbles off the bed, I let out as huge sigh of relief that he’s still wearing his pants. Much as I love slashy bromance, I really didn’t want to go there because I need my boys to fight over Mae Ri like lovesick puppies.

Mae Ri grabs Mu Gyul’s clothes and drags him out of the house, with Jung In looking on with a detached yet curious expression. Mae Ri pushes Mu Gyul out the door like an errant husband pushing a mistress out before the wife comes home. She warns him not to work on the drama OST. Mu Gyul doesn’t see a problem with it, his impression of Jung In is that he seems nice enough.

Mae Ri emphatically calls Jung In a bad guy, and alludes to him having ill-intentions towards Mu Gyul. Perhaps Jung In is looking to secretly investigate Mu Gyul, and at this Mu Gyul laughs at Mae Ri for writing her dramatic fiction again. Mae Ri refutes that possibility – how could Jung In be a good guy if he would agree to a 100 day marriage with a woman who he believes to be in love with another man.

Mu Gyul thinks about it, and recalls Jung In being candid and straightforward when they discussed music last night. Mae Ri launches into a tirade against Jung In – he’s got a split personality, he’s a pretending-to-be-polite bastard, he’s got ulterior motives. Mu Gyul suddenly remembers that he left his guitar back in the room, and moves to retrieve it.

Mae Ri stops him and promises to bring it to him after work. She doesn’t want Mu Gyul to go back because Jung In will surely ask questions and probe their marriage. What if he finds out they are fake married? Mu Gyul growls in annoyance, but in the end lets Mae Ri do as she suggested.

Back at the office, Mae Ri warns Jung In to not bother Mu Gyul anymore. Jung In is all business-like, and calls Mu Gyul a very talented friend. He needs Mu Gyul’s talent for this drama OST. Mae Ri is getting increasingly agitated when Seo Jun comes in to meet with Jung In. Seo Jun hands Mae Ri a bag containing a replacement cell phone for the one she threw against the mirror yesterday. Mae Ri declines the phone since her phone wasn’t broken, but accepts the apology. Seo Jun smiles, liking Mae Ri’s forthright personality.

Mae Ri overhears some colleagues discussing what a great couple Jung In and Seo Jun would make, and she wonders why Jung In doesn’t pick someone like Seo Jun and wants to be with someone like her? Jung In takes Seo Jun to the recording studio for her to practice, and helps her with the pronunciation of some Japanese dialogue.

Mae Ri also repeats the dialogue (so she can recognize Japanese, I wonder why) when she read the script while cleaning Jung In’s office. When Jung In comes back, he asks Mae Ri what she thinks of the drama? She likes the concept, it’s fresh, but worries that dramas nowadays are too geared towards the youth demographic and the older generation is not tuning in.

Jung In gives Mae Ri the rest of the day off again (this is becoming a recurring joke as well), and she asks for Mu Gyul’s guitar to take back to him. Jung In states his intention to return the guitar personally. Mu Gyul is sitting by his van fixing electronics when Mae Ri the barreling banshee comes screaming “chagi-yah” and running towards him.

She launches herself into his side, and he wonders what’s gotten into her until she points to the guy in the suit and sunglasses walking towards them carrying Mu Gyul’s guitar. Jung In sets the guitar down and asks whether Mu Gyul’s gotten some rest. Mae Ri butts in and tells Jung In that her honey is clearly working hard.

She gesticulates wildly for Mu Gyul to continue working, as a sign for Jung In to take off. Mae Ri opens the van door and goes inside to admire Mu Gyul’s hard work. When Jung In asks to speak to Mu Gyul and she refuses for him, Jung In shoves her back in the van and locks the door. The two husbands finally have a conversation, all while Mae Ri pounds on the window yelling for her honey to open up.

Mu Gyul tells Jung In that he has nothing to discuss with him. Jung In confesses to thinking he and Mu Gyul had a musical understanding, but Mu Gyul reveals that it’s happened in the past and then he’s gotten hoodwinked by unethical managers. Jung In tries to express his sincerity, but Mu Gyul questions the motives of a man who would enter into a marriage with a woman who is already to married to another man she loves. That defies common sense, no? [Seriously, Mu Gyul talking about common sense is like asking a swindler what truth is].

Jung In tries to explain the marriage as just business, which leads Mu Gyul to finish the sentence that music is also just business to Jung In then, right? Mae Ri escapes the van trap and tries to protect Mu Gyul from Jung In, but is pushed aside by her hubby who can handle this himself. Mu Gyul leaves Jung In with a simple and honest last word – he doesn’t trust Jung In.

Mae Ri and Jung In’s dad (otherwise known as jerkwad and obsessoid) are discussing Mu Gyul. Mae Ri’s dad tries to reassure his hyung that Mu Gyul’s just a playboy who is not serious about Mae Ri. Jung In’s dad wants them split up – and tells Mae Ri’s dad that if she doesn’t choose Jung In at the end of 100 days, then the consequences are for Mae Ri’s dad to shoulder, including paying back the money given to repay his debts. Ouch, obsessoid has nary a shred of humanity, does he?

Jung In leaves since this impasse can’t be resolved today. Mae Ri is happy with Mu Gyul’s response to Jung In’s music proposition, but Mu Gyul tells her he didn’t do it for her. He resumes fixing random electronic gadgets. Mae Ri’s dad comes by wanting to speak directly with Mu Gyul, and is distressed to see Mae Ri with him.

Mar Ri wonders how much Mu Gyul makes for fixing electronics. He says enough to get by, supplanted with the money they make performing at clubs. He asks if she’s acting like his wife or something. She says of course not, but then realizes that she’s supposed to be his wife right now. Mu Gyul spies Mae Ri’s dad lurking behind a wall, which leads Mae Ri to grab Mu Gyul and make a run for it. Way to leave your electronics and your van all free for takers, guys.

Mu Gyul is dragged along by Mae Ri, wondering how long this situation is going to keep going on. Mae Ri says it’s too late now, they are on the same boat (oh god, I want these two to start boating, like, ASAP). Mu Gyul takes charges and pulls Mae Ri along, ending up at a noraebang. I love how Mu Gyul transitions from lackadaisical follower to in-charge leader in seconds, all depending on his mood and the situation. He lets Mae Ri direct him along, but only because he indulges her, otherwise he would just end this charade and move on.

In the noraebang, Mu Gyul takes his shoes off and curls into a ball on the sofa (the running gag in this episode is how constantly cold Mu Gyul is, which is an extension of the last episode when he told Jung In that he hates being cold and his apartment has no heater). He refuses to sing in a place like this, so Mae Ri ends up singing to keep their lovers-on-a-date act alive for her dad, who is perched outside the door.

Mae Ri starts singing, which makes Mu Gyul realize that she’s completely tuneless (yup, that would be me at a noraebang as well). She beckons for help, confessing she’s butchering this poor song. Mu Gyul takes the mic from her, sits down on the table, and continues the love song she was singing. Mae Ri’s dad hears it and is more worried than ever – seeing firsthand how awesome Mu Gyul is as a singer means that his Mae Ri is falling deeper and deeper in love with him.

Mae Ri’s dad lobs a call to his hyung, complaining that Jung In lets Mae Ri off work early every day and doesn’t pay her any attention. Their plan won’t work if he’s not making any effort to woo her away from Mu Gyul. He continues to follow them, which leads Mu Gyul to borrow a bike and take Mae Ri farther away from daddy stalker.

Mae Ri compliments Mu Gyul on being quite attractive when he was singing back at the noraebang. It’s the first time she’s heard him sing such a touching ballad. He looks at her, then raises his eyebrows in a flirty way, asking if she’s starting to like him? He doesn’t seem upset, but more curious. Mae Ri thumps at him for being ridiculous, she was making an objective compliment that he was attractive when singing that song is all.

The bike ride makes both of them cold from the frosty air, and Mae Ri makes Mu Gyul stop in front of a yarn store. Back at the apartment, Mu Gyul’s fiddling with some wires while Mae Ri is knitting. Both comment that they hate the cold, with Mae Ri worried that it’s supposed to be a very cold winter this year. The ask each other their birthdays – Mae Ri is on November 30, and Mu Gyul is on Christmas Eve (oh shit, I know who is going to be whose Christmas present this year, woo hoo!).

Mae Ri calls herself Mu Gyul’s noona, being a few weeks older than him. She calls him dongsaeng and reminds him to call her noona in the future. He scoff at her silliness, but complies when he asks noona that she seems like a woman when she’s knitting. Mae Ri looks Mu Gyul directly in the eye with a playful expression and confirms that she is in fact a woman.

Mae Ri finishes one mitten and tries it on, warming her hand up. Mu Gyul sits down next to her and rubs his cold hands together to ward off the chill. Mae Ri asks if he wants her to make him a set, and he nods quietly. She takes his hands and palms it against hers to measure the size. He notices her scar and asks her how she acquired it.

She doesn’t remember – she was only told it happened when she was four years old and was out playing. She starts to knit his glove, and the times passes until its nearly 9:30 at night. Notice how Mu Gyul doesn’t shoo her or even remind her of the time anymore. Hee, they have such comfortable interactions with each other.

Mu Gyul notes that she’s not even done with one mitten of his yet, and she promises to finish it next time. She warns him not to take the mitten apart or else he’s dead meat. She runs off, and Mu Gyul looks at the mitten and then lays down on the now vacated sofa to rest.

The drama has hit a snag with the script being unacceptable to the director. Unless they can rework the script in time, the actors will bail and the production company will be on the hook for contractual penalties. Jung In gets called to meet with his dad, and he’s solicitous of his father’s health, asking about whether he’s been to the hospital. Which leads me to believe this whole return to Korea, get son to marry daughter of first love crap, is perhaps a dying man’s final wish. No confirmation yet, but don’t be surprised if Jung In’s dad turns out to be sick.

Dad asks Jung In about how the marriage is working out. Jung In confesses that he’s been swamped with work lately. Which leads daddy not-so-dearest to inform Jung In that he’s clearly operating under the mistaken assumption that once the 100 days passes, it’s all over. Dad changes the terms of the deal – he will rescind all his investment in Jung In’s drama production company if at the end of 100 days, Mae Ri does not choose Jung In. If Jung In does not make this marriage a reality, his business future is toast.

Jung In swoops in for his new mission – operation woo Mae Ri. He decides to take Mae Ri to the family country estate for a getaway. Both dads will be going as well. During the drive, Jung In wants to call Mu Gyul to explain why his night is being taken away today. Mae Ri calls Mu Gyul herself and has a one-sided conversation with a sleepy Mu Gyul.

He wonders why it’s starting again so early (i.e. her bothering him with the fake marriage issues), and she has a loud conversation that its unfair his time is being encroached upon, they should demand a four day, three night trip to make up for it. In fact, the time division isn’t equitable at all – from now on, 9-3 should be with Jung In, one hour for travel, and 4-10 with Mu Gyul. During this conversation, Mu Gyul wonders what the heck she is yammering about. Plus she’s speaking extra loudly and punctuating every other sentence with a honey endearment.

Jung In agrees to the new wife-share terms, but asks Mae Ri to do her best during this trip. She’s clearly unaware that he’s changed his end goal with her. Jung In leaves Mae Ri at the country estate while he runs off to an emergency meeting. Mae Ri notes that the place seems familiar somehow, and she sees a picture of her parents with Jung In’s dad, who walks in at that very moment. He stares at his first love’s doppelganger a few seconds too long for my taste, but let’s accept that he just wants her for a daughter-in-law.

Jung In goes to the office to meet with the lead actors. While Seo Jun is willing to wait, the other actor and his bitchy manager is not. Jung In’s dad tries to hang out with Mae Ri, but she doesn’t know any of the activities he suggests. They end up playing a game where they flick black and white Go pieces off the board. Jung In comes back to find his dad and wife enjoying each other’s company.

Jung In helps serve his dad a separate meal, and Mae Ri’s inquiry leads to the knowledge that Jung In’s dad is recovering from successful cancer removal surgery. The dinner is a too quiet, which leads Mae Ri to note that her dinners with her dad are loud and boisterous. Jung In leaves to take a phone call, and Mae Ri asks Jung In’s dad about the meaning of a Japanese phrase she read in the script.

Back at the land of Mu Gyul and puppies, Mae Ri’s dad has tracked him down to his apartment and is there to inform him that he’s not a suitable husband material for Mae Ri. Mu Gyul laughs and can’t believe he has to endure this. He gets called out to meet his mom, and leaves Mae Ri’s dad with a request to please discuss this issue with Mae Ri going forward.

Mu Gyul’s mom has just ended another relationship and is depressed. Mu Gyul asks her what’s more important: love, trust, or hope. When she answers love, Mu Gyul tells her that loyalty is the most important thing. She thinks about it and agrees, saying that she’ll find a loyal guy in the future. She asks where Mu Gyul heard this from.

Mu Gyul mentions the girl she met outside his apartment the other night, which his mother calls “the cute puppy-like little girl”. Mu Gyul confesses that she’s different than other girls, she’s a loyal person. She asks why doesn’t he date her, and Mu Gyul responds by saying that he doesn’t see her as a woman.

His mom asks if they should live together going forward. Mu Gyul’s face lights up, and asks if she means it. She apologizes for giving him such a lonely upbringing, being raised by relatives. He tells her not to feel bad, people are solitary animals destined to be alone anyways. Mu Gyul tempers her offer of living together by saying that she’ll just leave again if she meets another man. His mom promises it won’t happen anymore – loyalty is what she’ll subscribe to from now on. He offers to buy her ice-cream.

Their mother-son dynamic is completely loving but without any responsibility. It’s likely Mu Gyul’s coping mechanism for his mom’s flighty ways. This is hammered home when his mom gets a call from her lover and she runs right out of the shop without telling Mu Gyul. He turns around from paying for the ice-cream and sees that she’s nowhere in sight. It’s a horrible situation, and his apathy makes my heart weep for how many disappointments he must have suffered to get to this point where nothing she does affects him.

Mu Gyul wanders off the park to eat the ice-cream alone (I love it when he licks the cap like a cat, and then shivers from the chill of eating ice-cream on such a cold day). A call comes in and he excitedly wonders if it’s his mom. His face falls to see who the caller is, and he answers to talk to Mae Ri. She’s doing her standard “chagi-yah, I miss you” dog and pony show for Jung In’s benefit. Jung In looks slightly perturbed, but more likely caused by his financing getting rescinded if he doesn’t win Mae Ri than any genuine affection for her.

Mu Gyul asks Mae Ri to cut it out with the excessive chagi-ing, since it gives him the goosebumps. She ignores him and continues with the sweet talk, which makes Mu Gyul declare that she’s a great actress, ready to win the Daesang now (love the cute Moon Geun Young as best actress winner call-out). Mae Ri reminds Mu Gyul that loyalty is most important above all else (hinting at his loyalty to her through these 100 days), and concludes with her promise to be loyal and support him through everything. This leads Mu Gyul to suddenly get very quiet, and Mae Ri ends the call with a fast “I love you!”

Seo Jun is at a swanky bar and her colleagues from the drama come to celebrate her birthday. Her co-star gives her expensive jewelry as a present, and gets on stage to sing a song in English for her. She’s not interested at all. She gets a text from one of Mu Gyul’s bandmates wishing her a happy birthday, and she leaves the bar mid-song to go find them.

Back at the country estate, Jung In’s dad tries to get him to end the drama production and take over their financial business. Jung In refuses, he wants to see his venture to the very end, and he’s taking the same determination with respect to this marriage as well. This leaves his father placated, and Mae Ri’s dad arrives at this time.

Mae Ri goes to explore the house, and finds a room with some old furniture and books. While flipping through a book, she finds a old picture of herself being piggybacked by a slightly older boy. Jung In enters to find Mae Ri and the picture, and neither can remember the situation leading up to the picture being taken. There is a note written in Japanese on the picture: while I am here, I will protect you, always.

As they are walking back to their rooms, Mae Ri asks Jung In why he doesn’t remember the picture since he was already 8 years old at that time. Jung In confesses that he has no memory of his life before he was 8, and doesn’t particularly want to find out about his early life. She notes that they appear to be fated, since they met at this country estate 20 years ago already.

Jung In takes the picture and remarks that its actually quite romantic. But he doesn’t care about that. He tells Mae Ri that he will make their marriage a reality, which shocks her since it contradicts what he initially said to her. He tells her that he will have to accept her choice of him. She reminds him that she will not choose him, and that she already loves someone else.

She turns to leave when her foot gives and she falls to the ground. Jung In looks a tad bothered but then picks her up and piggybacks her back to her room. Wow, three piggybacks for Mae Ri (four if you count her dad) in four episodes – must be a new K-drama record. The dads watch the piggyback with an expression of happiness that their scheme appears to be gaining traction.

Mu Gyul’s reading a book back at his apartment when he comes across the story Mae Ri wrote to explain their love affair, which she gave him to memorize and coordinate their stories. It’s a florid and overly dramatic recitation, which gives Mu Gyul more goosebumps. But he continues reading and laughs at her penchant for romanticizing everything like the avid drama-fan she is.

He’s so cold that when he sees Mae Ri’s one pink mitten and his half-completed blue mitten on the table, he puts them on and smiles. He gets called out by his band mates, and arrives to find Seo Jun there (she shares her birthday with another of the band mates). Mu Gyul takes a drink and openly mumbles about how awkward this is.

The other band mates want to leave but is stopped by both exes. Fortified by drink, Seo Jun asks Mu Gyul point blank to resume their relationship, which ended a year ago. He tells her that once a relationship ends, he never goes back. The other band guys watch on in dismay and embarrassment for Seo Jun, who calls Mu Gyul a bastard, and gets up to use the rest room.

The guys ask why Mu Gyul is so cold-hearted, rejecting her without even a second’s thought over the proposition. He responds that he’s married to his Merry Christmas, isn’t he? Which leads the guys to wonder if Mu Gyul is falling in love with Mae Ri. Mu Gyul doesn’t want to talk anymore and walks out. Ooooh, things are getting so good.

Mu Gyul walks out and sees a text that is still not from Mae Ri, which leads him to say under his breath “Mae Ri is staying out all night.” He sees some drunk guys harassing Seo Jun and steps in to protect her, punching them out and taking Seo Jun away. She stumbles and he gently asks her is she’s fine. She says that she’s not fine, and she hugs Mu Gyul with tears in her eyes, while Mu Gyul has a conflicted expression on his face.

Returning to the land of convenient and random foot injuries, Jung In is placing a warm compress on Mae Ri’s injured foot. She asks why he’s changed his mind about their marriage, and finds out that its both for his business and because his father’s desires it so. Mae Ri realizes that Jung In is a quite a filial son, to which Jung In replies that his father is like a god to him, a benevolent and cruel god.

Mae Ri grabs her phone, likely to call or text Mu Gyul, and Jung In takes it away. He tells her not to call anymore. She demands to know why, and he tells her that Kang Mu Gyul is now his rival and competition. She says that’s not right, and he sits down on the side of the bed and gently caresses her scar. He says, in Japanese, I will protect you, and then bends down to kiss her Harry Potter scar.

Thoughts of Mine:

To no one’s surprise except for Mae Ri (because I refuse to believe that Jung In didn’t see thing coming from like a million miles away), her marriage to Jung In can’t end at 100 days if she doesn’t choose him. His future is at stake, and he’s going to fight tooth and nail for her to choose him. Plus, if she doesn’t choose him, her dad’s welfare is also at stake, which Mae Ri doesn’t yet know about, but will likely be revealed to her at a critical juncture.

The Mae Ri and Jung In being childhood playmates angle was unforeseen (by me), but again wholly unsurprising when it was sprung on us. Jung In clearly has a lot of emotional issues, and his childhood friendship with Mae Ri might be the key to unlocking whatever hidden demons lurk within. I never doubted that he would genuinely fall for Mae Ri, rather than pursuing her for his drama company’s financial future. But this adds an additional layer to their future interactions.

Mu Gyul and Seo Jun’s issues are also coming to the forefront. I don’t believe he stills love her, but I think he still has residual feelings, however slight, for her. His mommy issues (it is refreshing to see a K-drama hero with a mommy complex rather than the standard daddy-woes) clearly resulted in his attitude towards love, and towards women. It’s now understandable that the one woman who can genuine touch his heart and soul is the one woman he doesn’t view as a woman, Mae Ri.

I don’t dislike Seo Jun at all, actually. I feel bad for her. Whatever caused her breakup with Mu Gyul, its clear she hasn’t moved on since then. Too bad for her, he neither has the inclination to rekindle their romance, nor to push Mae Ri aside even as a pretend wife. I love how he thinks about her on the most random of moments, and how their fake relationship leads him to actually develop a real friendship.

The problem I have with Mae Ri and Jung In, right now, is that they know nothing about each other. Whereas each time Mae Ri and Mu Gyul are together, they are asking questions and learning more about each other. I actually find Mae Ri and Jung In’s interactions more tinged with a sexy restrained vibe, and the Mu Gyul and Mae Ri moments are more like old-friends hanging out. That doesn’t mean I don’t fully embrace the MM-ship. I look forward to Mu Gyul and Mae Ri realizing they have romantic feelings for each other, and how that will factor into their crazy complicated lives.

I’m loving M3 like a little part of my heart that is devoted to dramas has been tuned 100% to waiting for the next episode, and unable to parcel out my usual levels of interest in other offerings. I’m sure when Saturday rolls around and I get my new dose of Secret Garden I’ll snap out of it. Until then, like Mu Gyul says, “Mae Ri stayed out all night” and a koala can’t get no sleep until she comes home.

@natasha: well, frankly speaking, Secret Garden might even be better than this. Maybe not much, let us say SG got my all my attention since ep 1 and this one had a slow start. But it could go the other way around from now….let’s hope not.

wow… what a recap!!!! while i was reading it i was also watching it so i understand more of what is happening…thanks… I am liking the twist and what about to turn into..i think we are getting our wish that they will fight for ‘merry christmas’ like lovesick puppies..hee.. can’t wait for mondays and tuesdays…mg is in for a very tough competition..he needs to work more on his merry christmas….

It is so wonderful to read your recap! Thank you for doing it! ^^ It makes me want to re-watch it over gain after reading it. 🙂

There are many issues that I am eager to find out such as:
1. Why did SJ & MG break up? (MG said that she used to be sick?)
2. We don’t know how MR’s mom died. I guess JI and his dad left Korea when MR’s mom passed away. Is it related to the scar that MR has? How did JI play a part in MR’s scar (or maybe not)?
3. The question that MR asked MG – about “love, loyalty and dream” which one is the most important? – I guess this question will come back to her when she has to make a tough decision

To your #3 question, I believe Mae-ri says that the answer to that is “loyalty” – hence the emphasis on it when Mu-gyul is talking with his mom, and what MR says to MG on the phone later.

How much do I love that they both value loyalty so much? I feel like the answer that kdramas usually give is “love” — not unreasonable, given the romantic comedy/melodrama nature of most dramas — but far too often I feel like loyalty, honestly, and trust (not to mention common sense) get lost in the “love”. I hope that the writers will continue to bring out this idea of loyalty as a source of tension — MR’s loyalty to her father, to her mother, to MG; MG’s loyalty to MR; JI’s loyalty to his father, etc.

Thank you for your reply to my question! I agree with you that kdramas focus on “love” (while other things such as loyalty, honesty, and trust get lost in the way).

I also think that JI portrays that side of “loyalty” to his father… What he had promised to do – now for the sake of his business and for his father to woo MR.

What came to my mind when I wrote question #3 – is that after MR finds out about why JI’s choice (to marry her); MR’s dad’s debt (if she rejects); SJ (who was MG’s ex and why they separated; and JI’s dad health (can he get well/or not); will she still choose “loyalty” above all else?

Hmmm.. makes sense. No wonder MR been with her father through and through. I’m thinking it may be her mom teaching her about loyalty. No matter how hard her life is and how hard her father making her life is, she’s such a filial daughter :D.

toohearts: she’ll probably learn more about MG and fall in love. But I think she’ll treasure him more because of what they shared now and how she pulled him into this mess 😀 I think she’ll be loyal to her and MG relationship?

Let me guess, Jung In & Mary were childhood playmates & swore to get marry when they are grown. Rich Dad had a ongoing crush on Mary’s mom and wanted to confess to her. Used some lame excuse of “let us bring my son & your girl to a fun day at the fair” so that he can tell her. Rich Dad confessed and Mary’s mom was indecisive. During the car ride home, he saw that the 2 kids were asleep at the back, so he leans over for a kiss, which Jung-In happened to see and gasped. Rich Dad looks back at him and…just then, a truck rolls by and Jung-In screams & points, Rich Dad swirls to avoid the truck but spins and the car tail hits a tree and the 2 kids were hurt. Mary cut her head, and Jung In lost his memory (or choose to because of the gross kissing scene that freaked him out).

Hi there! I’ve been a long-time lurker, but I wanted to chime in and say that I so, so, so appreciate these recaps. They really an enjoyable read, and it’s always good fun around here.

As for the childhood playmates angle–it’s all so coincidental, what with the shared amnesia, the dead mother, the mysterious scarring, Obsessoid’s desperate longing for Mae Ri, so I’m guessing that Mae Ri’s mother’s death was an accident inadvertently caused by young Jung In and Mae Ri. Obsessoid, obviously, is wanting to make reparations to the woman he loved, so he is hell-bent on taking care of Mae Ri for the rest of her life. (Though I have to wonder: does he need to do this by trapping her in marriage? Couldn’t he, I dunno, give her a job or something? Oh, whatever, I’m not going to quibble over this; it’s got enough potential to be really, really creepy and I’m not going to wonder about it, not now, anyway.)

Still, Mu Gyul and Mae Ri’s interaction takes the cake for me. I lovelovelove how they’re so wonderfully adorable together, what with the singing and the salvaging of garbage-cum-furniture (though I do admit the cement brick bookshelves are pretty cool) and the knitting and the hoodie-yanking and the bike-riding and the wiggling eyebrows. I appreciate how Mae Ri’s working her way into Mu Gyul’s life, and how he’s so utterly helpless to stop it: he really is putty in her hands. I admit, my heart kicked a little when he pulled on the 1.5 mittens and got all excited about a potential phone call from his Merry Christmas.

I admit I was a bit apprehensive about Mu Gyul’s impending mommy issues, given that JGS’s character in You’re Beautiful had those up the wazoo, but I’m pleasantly surprised by the angle this drama has taken. There’s none of the “mommy/daddy/other authority figure doesn’t love me” pathos. All three parents (and isn’t it funny how Jung In, Mae Ri and Mu Gyul are all products of a single-parent home?) no doubt love their children. Love isn’t in question here, but even so, the parent-child relationships here aren’t at all healthy. My goodness, considering a parent a god, who is at turns benevolent and cruel–oh, gosh, Jung In, your daddy issues, they scare me. Mu Gyul and Mae Ri both serve as children and caretakers to their respective parents, who, in turn, are both inherently childish and foolishly trusting.

We don’t know much about Mu Gyul’s mother, other than that she isn’t a very thoughtful or sensitive person, but I’m growing to really, really dislike Mae Ri’s father. I want to reach in there and shake him, mostly because, as much as he’s trying to convince himself that he’s forcing Mae Ri into this marriage for her own good, in the end, he’s doing it so those debt collectors and/or Obsessoid don’t throw him off a bridge. I can’t stand it because he’s making his daughter, who’s already been through enough upheavals due to his ridiculous business ventures to last a lifetime, shoulder a debt he, as her father, really ought to take responsibility for. What’s more, he expressly didn’t take her wishes into account, and seems to completely overlook the fact that his daughter would much rather be independent and self-sufficient than beholden to Jung In. This just makes me angry, and then he had to go and yell at Mu Gyul, which just made me angrier (could he not see the fancy recording equipment, the gallery of guitars? THIS MAN IS OBVIOUSLY SERIOUS ABOUT HIS MUSIC, AND THAT DESERVES RESPECT, DAD.) and then the moron went spying on his daughter and Mu Gyul; and if that isn’t creepy enough, he went and snapped pictures of Mu Gyul and his mom, which basically turned me into a giant squid of anger. (Okay, okay, maybe he’s not being completely unreasonable, because I can see how a father would be very worried if his daughter brought home an indie rocker as a husband. Fine. But it’s not at all fine if his primary motivation is breaking Mu Gyul and Mae Ri up is so she’d choose Jung In and therefore absolve him of debt.) Seriously, I just want to reach in there, smack him, and say, “Pay your own damn bills and let your daughter choose what she wants with her life!” He’s completely ignoring that she’s a very capable and intelligent young woman who obviously has more presence of mind than he himself does; by forcing her into a marriage, he’s robbing her of her agency for his selfish reasons, and I can’t stand that.

I suppose I should mention that I’m in love with Mu Gyul (as though it wasn’t obvious enough, hee.) A lot of that has to do with how laid-back and mellow he is is, but also because he is so much more than your stock all-about-peace-and-love hippie flower child character: he’s obviously got anger and abandonment issues, which I’m sure, stem from his mother and her flightiness. Sure, she loves him, sure, she showers him with affection whenever she drops by before getting distracted by something shiny, but what’s that ever done for him? She’s never stuck around, and if that love for him wasn’t enough for her to take up responsibility for him, what’s that say about the Power of Love (TM) to him? I think that’s why he won’t get together with The Ex-Girlfriend–she left. They still might care for each other, but she left, and whoops, Mu Gyul has moved on, because that’s how Mu Gyul’s learned to cope with abandonment, thanks to mom: he cuts off emotional connections and that’s that. It’s also why I think Mae Ri is going to be so good for him; she’ll love him, of course, but she’ll also be intensely loyal to him. That loyalty is a tangible manifestation of that love–the lack of which is symbolized, I think, by the lack of physical warmth in Mu Gyul’s life, and why I got such a kick out of the mittens Mae Ri is making for him, see, she’s giving him warmth already, awwwwww–and I think will make all the difference in their relationship. He just needs someone to put down roots with him, someone who’ll stick, and Mae Ri will end up doing that. Oh, gosh, no wonder I love this dynamic.

In any case, I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful recaps! They’re really wonderful to read while we wait for the subs to come out.

I love everything you said in your last (long) paragraph. I think that if MG goes back to SJ it will be criminal to his character development; moreover, I hope the writers don’t use the trope of “being swayed by old love who comes back and begs to be taken back and does awful, mean things to cause misunderstandings between the fated pair in an effort to reclaim their “true love” that they obviously don’t truly love because they’re selfishly hanging onto said person and preventing them from being truly happy with the person they actually love.” The love polygons will be ever so much more interesting if all four of the main leads like and respect each other. There’s nothing quite so painful as liking/loving someone you should dislike/hate.

Thank you so much! Lol, if I spent as much time writing my papers as I do mooning over Asian drama characters, I’d probably be a much better student, but, eh, whatever, JGS is hot. *is shot*

I also really, really hope that the writers don’t fall back onto the tried and exhausted Clingy Second Female Lead Syndrome. I usually can’t stand one-dimentional, needlessly evil characters, and I can’t stand myopic, narrow-minded second leads even more. It’ll be a novel experience when all of the actors in the love polygon are rational, sympathetic and genuinely respectful people. It looks like the writers of M3 are smart enough to figure that out (what, with the humanization of The Ex-Girlfriend) so I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Hah. ‘Clingy Second Female Lead Syndrome’. Hope not. But, looking at her character from Ep 1-4, she’s reasonable. Unlike the other Second Female Leads who unfortunately have the Clingy Syndrome. I actually like how she’s sceptical about everything ^^; and she actually apologize. That’s a good thing, no? But then, she’s bad temper which might lead, god knows what, later when she’s find out about MG and MR. Hmmmm…

I agree with the loyalty here. I’m simple minded person and that’s why I ship for JI-MR. Lol. But then reading your analysis, I do feel MG-MR made for each other. It’s more to MG needs MR to complete him. MG is more fragile than he looks. While MR is cute in her every way, she is a very independent, optimist, strong and what else? Eventhough we hate the dad, we gotta thank him for what Mary has become. XD

Oh, and one more thing. I really love it when MR shouting non stop about not wanting JI talked to MG. MG says he’ll take care of it and MR obediently and quietly says ‘OK’. That’s how their relationship is.

I am expecting, nay, requiring, a wall from text from you about M3 for each and every episode I recap.

I’ve been DYING for a chingu to come along and do a deep dive into the drama with me. None of my friends like M3 like I do, which is fine, but when a koala’s got to discuss zee big issues, she needs a kindred spirit.

(1) Agree 100% abou Mae-Ri’s dad, aka jerkwad. On the scale of horrible parenting that abounds in this entire drama, he might just take the cake. He SOLD MR as a bride. I mean, it’s all fun and games, and JI is the opposite of ugly or a freak, but ferrsakes, you SOLD your daughter to pay off your debt. If M3 were a makjang melo, he would die a terrible death at the end of the drama. What’s the worst thing about his sale of MR? The fact that your daughter tells you that she is in love with another man, and married him. And you still coerced her with your guilt trip into the 100 day marriage with JI. He is a useless douchebag that I would gladly drive to a bridge and then assist off the edge.

(2) Mae Ri and Mu Gyul – if they are not made for each other, in every conceivable drama sense, then I shall forsake eucalyptus leaves forever more. I love your connection that loyalty is the one thing MG needs, the one thing he has never had, and its the only thing MR has and knows how to share with the people she loves. She is loyal, to a fault. I worry when she feels torn between her loyalty to MG and her impending loyalty to JI. Girl’s gotta make a choice, and its going to be a doozy. What makes the baby-steps friendship and romantic development between MR and MG feel organic is that their attraction to each other doesn’t feel inauthentic the way so many OTPs in dramas end up feeling.

Sigh, I have so much brimming to write, but I somehow feel like the drama continues to surprise me, by taking entire oceanliners worth of cliches, and making me love it. At the end of ep. 4, we are lock, loaded, and ready to roll. I cannot wait for everyone to start falling in love. It’s hilarious that we’ve got the marriages before the falling in love part.

Happy to oblige! Because regardless of the hilarity and the gooey fluff that’s turning me into a puddle of fluttery female feeeeelings, Zee Serious Issues do need discussing.

And so I respectfully ask that you allow me to drive to that bridge with you, and we’ll shove the douchebag off together. Still, while the parenting in this drama isn’t as horrific as parenting found elsewhere in DramaLand, it’s still pretty cringe-inducing. I can’t decide whose head I want to introduce to a 2×4 first: Mae Ri’s dad, who has the nerve to trap his daughter–who has been doggedly loyal to him despite his ne’er-do-well ways–into a marriage she neither wants nor needs regardless of her WEDDDING to man she claims she loves, all to pay off his debt; Jung In’s father, who likewise uses his investment money to browbeat his son into a marriage neither party wants, all because of a lost love, and then ups the ante on poor Jung In without warning; or Mu Gyul’s mother, who obviously wouldn’t know what being thoughtful, kind, and dependable mean if they bitch-slapped her across the face.

Also, Mae Ri and Mu Gyul are made for each other. I’m just worried that the Big Separation will be a result of her choosing to be with Jung In because Obsessoid will be reveal that her dad’s fate (to be tossed off a bridge, or to not be tossed off a bridge?) and she’ll cave. Of course she’ll cave. And that’s why I want to reach in there and shake her, because while that loyalty is a wonderful trait, it also allows her father to embroil her in his various issues. If he were, say, a good father, he would have found a way to avoid her involvement at all, but I think we’re way past having actual expectations of this guy, anyway. Did no one ever tell this girl that the sins of father (or, rather, money owed to scary debt collectors) are not the sins of the child?

I wonder how Mu Gyul’s going to react to the impending threat of Jung In on his Merry Christmas. I mean, I can’t see him posturing. Can you? I don’t think he’s ever had to posture in his life, what with all the females falling all over him. I dunno, I just can’t imagine Mu Gyul participating in all the penis waving contests that the male leads in these dramas usually do. Hm.

Oh My Goodness!
That was an INCREDIBLY GREAT analysis and commentary of the relationship and characters of the show! Thank you, you’re awesomeness! Very smart and insightful! Great addition to the recap! 🙂 🙂

Wow. And I mean wow! I truly love the deep analysis here. So much that it gets me out of my lurker mode ^.^
Thanks for this, ockoala and nooozie _(_ _)_ I couldn’t agree with you more…

It disgusts me what MR’s dad to his daughter. And it angers me what JI’s dad do to his. But what MG’s mom did to him was so sad. They love each other; that’s as clear as new glass. But that love doesn’t come with any loyalty or dependability. The first lesson in MG life might be that having love doesn’t make you less alone. Which is why what MR said about loyalty and dependability above love and dream hit the chords within him.

It wrenched my hear when he didn’t even had any reaction but scratching his head when he turned around and found his mom gone. He just picked up his ice cream, sat alone on the bench and felt the cold as he licked it. Then MR called him… and by the time she hung up, he had a smile on his face, and he ate that ice cream without a shiver anymore. And THAT’s why this couple would forever be THE couple for me. I felt warm just watching them…

Um. I get a little carried away, kind of because I’m an English lit major, but mostly because I’m a huge dork who’s never really learned when to (and when not to) geek out. Sorry about the veritable essay up there 🙂

I love Mae Ri because she knits toooooo! I can’t tell you how much I admire people who know how to knit things, mostly because I fail so very, very badly at it. No spacial intelligence, I guess.

I love it because it’s just so homey; she’s fulfilling a basic need of his, and in a way that I don’t think anyone ever has. I love his expression when she asks if he wants a pair (ha). It’s the quiet fleeting moments of tenderness between them that happen almost unconsciously, oh, those get me.

I haven’t developed an attachment to Jung In either, but that’s because there’s no chemistry that I can see between him and Mae Ri, though this could probably be because of my shipper goggles.

I love the homey~ness, too! I think kdramas in general are great at huge “events” (which is what they’re literally called in Korean, when they do big things), but a lot of the smaller, more intimate beats that happen in a real relationship just aren’t there. That’s a big reason why I loved PK so much, and why I’m head over heels for MG and MR together — their relationship is developing in a (fairly) healthy way. (We’ll ignore the extraordinary circumstances that brought it about.) They are finding out about each other, spending time together, talking about what is important to them…you know. Things real people do and most kdrama characters don’t. And I just can’t help falling in love with them for it. ^^

Why do I have a feeling that the scar on Mary’s head has got to do with she and Jung In being childhood friends? There’s got to be a story behind the scar and my gut tells me that there MUST be something to do with him! (Just a gut feeling)

I really enjoy to read your recap for M3 Ockoala without seening yet.
The story is intersting and took me to want to know more and more what will be happend in epi 5.
I use to watch it first before I read recap. Now is a nice new experience that reading recap and falling in the story for this drama haven’t seen any yet.
Thanks for your great work as usual.

What are the chances of her ending up with Jae Wook? Nil? The 2nd lead never gets the girl right in a korean drama? I don’t know why, but I feel there’s just so much sizzle and chemistry between her and Jae Wook.

omo! mayssenger, you watched m3 ahead of me. heheh! i gave up waiting for it yesterday cuz i’ve got a bad connection. *sigh* anyway… yeah, that’s the big problem. i’m all for kim jae wook and geun young but as what you’ve said, for sure she will end up with geung suk. i like geung suk too cuz he’s really pretty damn good looking but still my heart is with jae wook. he really fascinates me ^^

Hey allenif my Jae Wook chingu! So nice to see you here….. I was getting lonely huhu. Yeah fascinating is the word to describe him! He just oozes charisma…I can’t take my eyes off him every time he appears. And those eyes of his…..ooooh they’re sooooo warm and just melts my heart. You know those scenes where he just stares into her eyes….ooooh I just find myself literally speechlesssssss …..SOOOOO ROMANTICCCCCC!!!!!! (but I’m still missing HJ huhu)

I watched M3 on miumiu’s midnight dreams wv subs….still waiting for ep 4 to come up wv subs. Watched Secret Garden ep 1 with subs halfway on vikkii before they blocked it. That was a while back and I haven’t felt any inclination to scout for new sites to watch since then. btw did you watch the bts of PK? She likes him a lot – she keeps touching him whenever she gets the chance…dunno about him though….he’s like a closed book to me.

heheh… mayssenger, i was really looking for you here. i am missing not only PK, KHJ & JSM but the rest of your boating, steaming, and flossing gang. LOL i’m really contented just by reading your hilarious conversation and LOL just like crazy. i just can’t participate often coz am not that damn too good in english and the heap of pending works in my desk will surely increase more. that’s the tremendous impact of PK to me. hahahhah! so somehow, it’s good PK ended so I can get back to reality. but of course it’s already embedded in my heart and so with the hyunmin couple. first time i saw KHJ in BOF, I got hooked with him and so in PK, it just got deepen more. same thing goes with KJW in Bad Guy. i guess it was a case of love at first sight? LOL but yes this KJW, he’s so freaking hot and simply irresistable. *drools* can’t help but be mesmerized by looking at him. omooo!!!!!!!!!!

going back to hyunmin couple, yeah… the BTS, i have the same observation too. the most obvious one was in the bed, she was touching KHJ’s hair. she was singing a song too and I’ve read kathy’s blog that the song means I LOVE YOU. in the previous BTS where her scarf got entangled in the tree, after the cut, JSM was touching KHJ’s back seemingly removing any dry leaves from his clothes to think he has an assistant who can do it for him. and the kiss-in-the-rain scene, where her knees also got weaken, after the cut, KHJ was smiling impishly and JSM was motionless, her feet just glued in the ground, and she didn’t seem to know how will she react. oh my, i really don’t know how to describe it well. my wildest guess is JSM is really falling for him and was carried away by the scene and KHJ knew it that’s why he’s smiling impishly. i’m a hyunmin shipper but i don’t want it to be just a one sided affair. i really don’t know too about KHJ’s feelings towards her. i don’t want to assume that because he’s nice with her it’s because he likes her too. i think it’s more because he wanted her to be working with him comfortably. i love so min too and i want her to be successful just like hyun joong and get recognized in her craft. I don’t want her to be stuck with that sort of unrequited love. oh, that was too long. heheh! i have to watch now the subbed ep 3 of m3. see you again here 😀

If only I’m as good writer as Noozie. You totally nailed everything my head thinks but can’t put into words! And as usual, I love you ockoala for this super fun and exciting recap! I really hate them for not giving us a preview because I AM DYING to know what will happen in Episode 5! I’ve been a lurker ever since but that analysis and that comment thread made me want to jump in and comment in every post now.

Snaps and kudos and cookies to you ockoala for recapping this! How I wish I can understand Korean and give back to the community. Harhar.

Wow…that IS fast work. btw how do you watch M3? You watch it raw and read Ockoala’s recaps? I watch on midnight dreams with subs….I’m still waiting for ep 4 subs to come up. Tried watching raw and reading Ockoala’s recap but found my mind wandering halfway through the raw ep. So no choice but to wait for the subs.

But I don’t think it’s going to happen though *bawling*. I’ve a history of supporting all the second leads and always end up crying. In BOF I rooted for Jihoo and in Coffee House (was that the name? It’s like so long ago) I was rooting for the sweet skinny young girl (Gee I’ve forgotten her name too LOL) to ship with the lead actor. Needless to say, I got it wrong….. M3 just for once, please, please, make me happyyyyy

I want Jung In too! for some reason when he said boku ga iru my heart melted and i just have to have him be the one. for once i dont know who she is going to end up with, usually you can figure it out, though i am a little worried cause m and m seem to have more couple pictures which could mean bad things Crap! i want Ju-ng Innn! they would be adorable together

hahaaha “that actress” cracked me up!!!
I’m all for breaking the rules and the cliches too…
My goodness!
Jung In had me at “boku ga iru”!!!!! And I don’t even speak the language damn it!!! He’s just oozing with sexiness when he said that then kissed her!
@allenif…. aigoo I’m still recovering from JiHoo syndrome lol!!! Please happy thoughts, I’d rather remember Seung Jo hahaha!!

I loved PK you should totally watch the Taiwanese version it was soo good! basically the same story but alot more detail and ALOT more cute/steamy/make you melt moments lol i would just skip the first season and start on the second it starts with their honeymoon

It’s been bugging me but the thing that Jung-In said to Mae Ri before he kissed her forehead was “boku ga iru” meaning “I’m here” not “I’ll protect you.” I’ve been reading the same translation of that line in other recap sites too and it’s just been bugging me so I hafta say it xD

Anyways~ Love your recaps and I’m actually digging more to the Jung In x Mae Ri couple as I love how Jung In views marriage as business while later he might end up falling in love with Mae Ri <333 Oh but we all know about second character syndromes that will end up tearing our poor delicate hearts… Can't wait til Monday ~!!

Yeah I echo your thoughts!!!!! Just loved that part ooooh when he said those Jap words it sent chills through me and the part he kisses her on the forehead oooooh!!!! And I loved that they have a history together….Rooting for Jae Wook-Mary!

uhmm i just watched,,i am in love with this drama..whats more is that i don’t know why but i want jung-in and mae-ri together..right now iam in love with Jung-in character…but of course we all know that mae-ri will end up with mu-gyul…actually i like these three character..they are all good!!

thank you ockoala for feeding my newly found obsession kkk!
As much as i find Mu Gyul to be super cute and adorable, this episode made me look at Jung In in a different light.
I mean my goodness he’s uber-HOT and SEXY now!!! i’m digging he’s distant, deep, but no BS attitude, and still can show emotions, he now got my attention though i think we all know “Merry Christmas” will choose her “Happy New Year” in the end.
I think Jung In likes Seo Jun anyways judging from the moment he saw her portfolio, picked her to be the lead in his drama, and how he interacts with her. Just hope they don’t turn her into this evil rival because she’s got some class and heart just a bit of an issue i guess.